Iowa State had two approaches against Lamar: Ice-cold and red-hot.

For the first 11-and-a-half minutes against Lamar, it looked like Hilton may freeze over, shooting less than 30 percent in a continuation from the Maryland game a week prior. The Cyclones were shooting some of the worst percentages in the Hoiberg era, but this time to a team many expected Iowa State to crush.

This didn’t last long.

Iowa State (4-1, 0-0 Big 12) finished the game on a 79-39 run, finishing the final 28 minutes shooting 64.4 percent and recording season-highs with 96 points and 13 three-pointers. 

Every eligible player saw the floor. Five players finished in double-digits. The team forced 27 turnovers and dished out 26 assists. It was a team effort, to put it lightly.

“It’s amazing when you have confidence how much easier the game is to go out and play,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg. “Once we got it opened up, I think we went on a 21-2 run there at the end of the first half, it was fun. Guys were out there pointing at each other and just playing together and that’s the thing I like to see most.”

And there was a lot of pointing. Monte Morris recorded his first career dunk and blocked two shots, Georgios Tsalmpouris and Clayton Custer scored their first career points on 3-pointers and Bryce Dejean-Jones flirted with a triple-double in an impressive 12-point, 10-rebound and 8-assist performance.

If Naz Long wasn’t knocking down a 3-pointer, Matt Thomas was. If Daniel Edozie wasn’t throwing down a dunk, somebody else was probably doing something noteworthy. That’s just how most of the night went for Iowa State: Red-hot.

“This week felt like three years,” Niang said of coming off the Maryland loss. “I think we were all anxious to get out here. In the first couple minutes it didn’t show but I think we handled it pretty well down the stretch… Coach kept telling us, ‘they’re going to go in, just keep playing,’ and we played defense and got out to run and shots started falling.”

For Dejean-Jones, it’s a brand of basketball unlike anything he has ever been a part of. He recorded his second double-double of the season after never recording one while at UNLV. Averaging less than four rebounds per game last season with the Rebels, Dejean-Jones has transformed his game into a stat sheet-stuffer without turning the team into a one-man show.

“It’s been very exciting,” Dejean-Jones said. “[Rebounding] is something I’ve become accustomed to doing. I kind of started liking it just being in there trying to get every rebound.”

And the Cyclones like it, too. Heading into the team’s first top 25 matchup of the season against No. 18 Arkansas, the No. 20 Cyclones hope to continue playing their unique brand of basketball that emphasizes team over individual efforts. 

And after breaking their ice-cold streak, they wouldn’t mind staying red-hot.